CHENNAI: Community participation and decentralised governance are urgent initiatives required for improving water supply and sanitation in peri-urban areas, according to U.K.-sponsored study conducted in Chennai. The term `peri-urban areas' refers to localities outside the city that were predominantly rural but are acquiring urban features. When compared to city-dwellers, residents of peri-urban localities are worse off in terms of water supply and sanitation as they are outside the core of the formal water supply and sanitation network, says the study published as a book titled, `So close to the city, so far from the pipes'.

The research was conducted by a team from University College, London, in association with local NGOs. In Chennai, voluntary organisation SUSTAIN participated in the study focussing on two peri-urban areas — Kottivakkam and Valasaravakkam. The high extraction of ground water in Chennai's peri-urban areas has been termed an unsustainable practice that "not only reduces water availability for the poor but has a deleterious effect on the quality of water."

G. Dattatri, main researcher, SUSTAIN, says, "Ground water extraction must not go beyond the recharge capacity." Decisions must be taken on the minimum supply that needs to be ensured during a water-scarce period and the resources allocated to a local body, he says.

The study also points out that residents of peri-urban areas resent the transfer of vast volumes of water extracted from sources in their localities to be sold in the core city. It recommends that community fora be started to ensure that peri-urban area residents do not lose out.

SUSTAIN director Anand R. Doss says, "A good self-help group in every panchayat can leverage issues and problems related to water supply and sanitation management." Motivating local people to maintain resources is a better option when compared to cost-intensive centralised systems, Mr. Doss explains.

Similar problems

Peri-urban interfaces across the globe seem to be facing similar problems in water supply and sanitation services, leaving governments grappling for solutions. In Mexico City, for instance, a Zero Growth Pact has been signed to stop new settlements coming up in peri-urban areas. However, this has not succeeded as informal settlements do crop up.

A reform process is on to privatise part of the water supply as peri-urban area residents end up paying a high amount when they access water through informal services. SUSTAIN plans to initiate a participatory process in Chennai where peri-urban residents can play a role.

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